Computer cleaning is necessary over time, as dust and dirt can gather within your PC or keyboard. Failing to clean your desktop or laptop regularly can cause dust and lint to clog the cooling vents, causing the central processing unit (CPU) to heat up and possibly lead to failure. Save yourself costly maintenance fees and hire a computer cleaner or do it yourself. Check out these tips for cleaning your computer:

Tip #1: Gather the Essential Supplies and Do It YourselfYou can easily clean your computer yourself if it’s just a simple dusting job. You’ll need cotton swabs, tweezers, a screwdriver, can of compressed air, rubbing alcohol and lint-free cloths. You may need some safety glasses too. Turn your computer off and pull the plug for safety. Inside the case, pick out any dust bunnies with tweezers. Then, keeping at least four inches away, blow the compressed air into the components. Also, blow air into CD or DVD drives, then wipe the inside of the cover with a cloth. Wipe down the monitor with a water-moistened cloth. After shaking out your keyboard to loosen crumbs, blow air into it, then use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to get in the nooks and crannies.

Tip #2: Clean Your Computer More Frequently if You Have PetsSome experts recommend cleaning your computer as often as every three months, especially if you have pets that shed or if you smoke. These conditions put more strain on your computer system, leading to increased possibility for clogged vents.

Tip #3: Turn Off Your Computer After a SpillImmediately after a keyboard spill, turn off your computer and disconnect the keyboard. Flipping it over, gently wipe the keys using a paper towel, then blow compressed air at the keys. It’s best to leave the keyboard to dry overnight. In the case of a laptop spill, turn off the computer, remove the battery, and bring it to a computer repair technician. Because liquids can remain within a laptop for days, you need to get this taken care of professionally right away.

A computer keyboard, mouse's tracker ball, monitor screens, fans, and the motherboard can get dirty because of dust that is attracted to the fan's moving air and electrostatic. Buying supplies like cans of compressed air, small vacuums, cloths, and sprays can help you clean your desktop or laptop. This can reduce the amount of noise that your fan makes because its parts will not stick and your computer can function more efficiently. There are many businesses that sell cans of compressed air, sprays, and other products that can be used to clean your computer, but you need to be sure that the products you buy are appropriate for the parts that you want to clean. To do this, you should find a company that can give you the right information as well as low priced products. When you contact the computer cleaning supplies companies that are listed in the online directory, you should ask them how much experience they have with supplies that are designed to clean a computer mouse, keyboard, fan, and motherboard. If they have been in the PC cleaning business for several years, then they should know which mini vacuums are safe for motherboards and which wipes that remove dust from your monitor without damaging it. You should ask them if they have a catalog that you can look at to make sure they have all the products that you need to clean your computer. Asking them for price quotes will also help you save money because you can choose one that charges less for reliable products.